Styles of Gin

Gin is one of the groups of spirits with the most variation within styles.  While two well vodkas, or two well rums are likely to have a similar taste, as are two top shelf vodkas or two top shelf rums, every gin is distinct.  The legal definition of gin (in the United States) is simply "an alcoholic beverage of no less than 40% ABV that possesses the characteristic flavour of juniper berries."

This clearly leaves some room open for interpretation, as is clear from the range of products on the market.  There are a few major categories which, although flavors vary even within the categories, can help tell a little bit about the gin.  I am going to list them in the order I think most American drinkers are likely to encounter them in.

London Dry gin is the most common type of gin.  It is dry, focuses primarily on the juniper flavors, and is generally fairly crisp and clean.  Tanqueray, Bombay, Boodles, Beefeaters, Seagram's, etc. all fall within this category.

New American gin is basically any gin which fits within the legal definition of gin, but not necessarily within any of the other styles.  Generally speaking, although not always, they tend to put more of an emphasis on citrus, floral, or herbal flavors, than London dry.  Hendrick's is probably the best known new style gin.

Sloe Gin is not really gin (any more).  It is a liqueur which uses a gin base, blackthorn berries (also known as sloe berries) for flavor, and is oak aged.

Genever (several different spellings exist) is starting to make a come back, but is actually the original style of gin.  It is attributed to the dutch.  This is a style which can be made from malt wine or a mixture of malt wine and sugar cane derived spirits, which are the redistilled with juniper and other gin flavorings, and are sometimes aged.  The key difference is that the grain (in oude genever) or other (in jong genever) spirits, as well as the aging when that takes place, are expected to actually contribute to the final gin flavor.  Where other styles focus on a crisp, clean spirit that highlights the clean flavors of gin, genever has more of a rough, grain spirit flavor.  Bols Genever and Genevier are the best known examples.

Old Tom gin is a sweeter style than London dry.  It actually predates London dry, as during early days of gin distillation, the alcohol and distillation flavors were so strong and offensive, that sweeter flavorings were needed to make gin palatable.  It is the gin originally used in a Tom Collins.  There are not a lot of well known brands of Old Tom gin, but the names for brands within this category usually include "Old Tom" or "Old English" right in the name.

Plymouth Gin is similar to London dry, but more earthy in flavor.  It must be produced in Plymouth, England, and as of right now, there is only one brand of true Plymouth Gin, coincidentally called Plymouth Gin on the market.

Absinthe? Is it legal? Is it safe? Will it make me crazy?

Absinthe is one of the most misunderstood and mysterious spirits on the market.  Its history is full of road bumps, prohibitions, and myths that make it that much more confusing, and appealing.  So, here's a list of the common questions people ask about absinthe.

What is Absinthe?
Absinthe is a spirit with grand wormwood, green anise, and fennel flavoring.  Unlike most other spirits, it is not overly regulated or protected by laws, meaning distillers can make any number of products, and legally call them absinthe.  It also does not fall into any of the seven major "families" of spirits (vodka, rum, gin, tequila, whiskey, liqueur, or brandy), since it does not meet requirements for any of them, and unlike liqueurs (which can similarly contain just about anything) is not bottled with any artificial or added sweetness.  So absinthe can have a fruit (usually white grape, and typical of the most traditional high-end absinthes) or grain base.  It can be redistilled to instill flavors and colors, or can have them added through essential oils or compounds (cold compounding).  They can be clear, or any number of shades of green.

That being said, absinthe is usually a fairly high proof (90-148 proof) spirit which tastes like a very herbal version of licorice and contains wormwood or wormwood oil.

Is absinthe legal?
In most parts of the world, at present time, yes.  In some countries (Spain , Portugal, the UK, and others), absinthe has always been legal.  In most other Western countries, absinthe was banned some time between 1906 and 1915.  Most of those bans have been lifted between 2000 and 2011, due to conflicts with EU regulations, with other national food or beverage laws, or just a general cultural shift.

Is the absinthe that's now legal in the U.S. real?
Yes.  The largest confusion in this is that there was a product, pre-2007, which was called "Absente," which contained no wormwood oils, and was artificially sweetened, but was similar in flavor profile to absinthe.  This product was nothing like the "real" absinthe available at the time in parts of Europe.  In 2007, the FDA redefined a part of the food codes to declare anything with under 10mg/kg of thujone could be called "thujone free," and thus could be legally produced, imported, and sold in the United States.  This limit is lower than in some European countries, so our absinthe may have less wormwood and thujone in it than some European brands, but it does contain all the same ingredients.

What is thujone?  Is it really a hallucinogen?
Thujone is the chemical found in wormwood which is in the same family as THC (the chemical in pot which gives it its psychoactive properties).  Although both critics and artistic fans of absinthe claimed that this chemical gave it dangerous hallucinogenic properties, this has been scientifically disproved.  Thujone, and thus absinthe, will not make you hallucinate.  Nor will they trigger the same receptors that THc will in the brain.  That being said, it is not conclusively proven one way or the other whether thujone has psychoactive properties independent of alcohol.  Toxicity studies have shown both psychological and physiological effects of thujone, but only in concentrations nearly impossible to reach by drinking absinthe, especially since the high proof would lead to experiencing serious alcohol issues long before the threshold for these effects of thujone were felt.

That being said, in my personal experience, abisnthe gives a different type of buzz.  It is much more mellow, and clear-headed than the buzz I get off of drinking other spirits.  It is a little thought provoking, or some might even say "mind opening."  Then again, I've experienced a different type of "whiskey buzz" than "vodka buzz," and different types of buzz based on where I am and who I'm with, so we'll leave it for the scientists to figure out if the "absinthe buzz" is caused by thujone, one of the many other botanicals used in absinthe production, or just the experience of the whole absinthe ordeal.

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